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Mulaudzi stuns field in 800m

Johannesburg - World champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi outclassed a stellar field to win the men's 800m race at the fifth Diamond League athletics meeting of the season in New York late on Saturday night.

Mulaudzi comfortably won a tactical race in 1:44.38, while Nick Symmonds of the US finished strongly but was well beaten into second place in a season's best of 1:45.05.

The South African went through the bell in third, tucked behind Olympic 1 500m champion Asbel Kiprop of Kenya. And with 150m to go Muladuzi changed gears and left the field for dead, coasting down the home straight to improve Youssef Kamel's meeting record of 1:45.53. Kenyan Alfred Yego was third in 1:45.46.

LJ van Zyl's disappointing season continued, with the Commonwealth champion still struggling to find form as he trailed home in seventh place in the men's 400m hurdles in 49.79 seconds.

Kerron Clement was almost two seconds ahead, winning in 47.86 and bettering James Carter's three-year-old meeting record by 0.51 seconds. Fellow American Bershawn Jackson also dipped under 48 seconds, clocking a season's best of 47.94 to secure second place.

Peter van der Westhuizen, however, will be pleased with his steady improvement this year, finishing ninth in the men's 1 500m in 3:37.34, bettering the season's best he set last Wednesday in Huelva by almost a full second.

The 25-year-old put in a solid run, defeating the likes of Kenyan Markos Geneti and former South African Alistair Cragg, who now competes for Ireland.

Kenyan Nicholas Kemboi won in 3:33.29, improving Leo Manzano's meeting record by 0.85 seconds. Deresse Mekkonen of Ethiopia finished second in 3:33.85, with the first four across the line bettering the mark Manzano set last year, including the American who finished third in 3:33.92.

The next Diamond League meeting will be held at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene on July 3.

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